Lola Young says she is ready to start a bright new chapter, and she is opening it with a new single cut with James Blake. Young said "From Down Here" was out on Friday May 22, and described the track as a step forward after a difficult stretch away from the spotlight.
Speaking to NME at the 71st Ivor Novello Awards in London on Thursday May 21, Young said the song was something she made with Blake, whom she called one of the musicians who has inspired her throughout her life. "This is a song that I worked on with James Blake, who is someone who’s heavily inspired me throughout my whole life," she said. "Working with him and calling him a friend is just so beautiful to me."
The song itself, Young said, is about the pull between chasing a high and choosing stability. "The track is about knowing that you’re missing a high, but also knowing that being grounded is a much safer place to be and so much more rewarding," she said. That idea fits the moment she is in now: Young said she had been taking time to focus on her mental and physical health after cancelling her 2025 tour to recover from exhaustion, following a period in which she had previously collapsed on stage in New York City.
During that hiatus, Young also said she sought treatment for addiction and attended AA meetings. Asked where she stands now, she said she was "definitely in a much better place" and added that she felt "excited and ready to perform and to release music." She also said, "all healing journeys are never ending," a line that underscored how careful she remains about the work of getting well while returning to the stage and the studio.
Young has spoken candidly about the pressure that can come with touring and public life, and other artists have praised her for doing so. That openness is part of why her return lands with more weight than a routine release. She is not presenting herself as fixed, only as back, and back on her own terms.
Young said she never meant her honesty to become a campaign, but hoped it would help others who are struggling. "I never intended it to start a movement, but I hope that it does in some way," she said. "I hope that this [encourages] any other artist who’s struggling, or who needs to take a break, to do that." She added, "Our wellbeing, our mental health and the private aspect of what we go through as people should be protected and should be respected."
For Young, the release of "From Down Here" now feels less like a comeback stunt than a reset. She said, "It totally is a bright new chapter." That chapter begins with a new song, a credited collaboration with Blake, and an artist who says she is ready again for both the work and the attention that comes with it.
